Puneri Paltan end home-leg with a roaring win against Bengaluru Bulls

·       Puneri Paltan beat Bengaluru Bulls 42-38

·       Pankaj Mohite put up an exceptional performance and was awarded Perfect Raider of the match

·       Sagar Krishna was awarded ace defender of the match

·       Captain Surjeet Singh was awarded game-changer of the match

Pune, 20^th Sept 2019: Puneri Paltan went all guns blazing and ended their home-leg with a smashing win against Bengaluru Bulls. Home team Puneri Paltan put up a stellar performance to beat Bulls, 42-38 in a VIVO Pro Kabaddi League match at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge, Balewadi, Pune on Friday.

Puneri Paltan had a storming start to the match, dominating the entire first half, as they produced an all-round performance to thwart all the advances from the Bulls.

Pankaj Mohite was in red-hot form as the raider helped Puneri Paltan beat the defending champions.

Pankaj Mohite, with 17 raid points, was ably supported in the defence by Pune’s Surjeet Singh and Sagar Krishna (both securing High 5s), as the result helped the home side jump to 8th place on the points table. Bengaluru’s top raiders Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar picked up Super 10s but they were found wanting against a stronger and cleverer Pune side.

Bengaluru might have started the match as favourites but the home side showed their true potential in a fiercely fought first half. Surjeet Singh and his Pune defence had a game-plan for Pawan Sehrawat and their two lines of defence meant the threat of Bengaluru primary raider was neutralised for most of the first half. On the other side of the mat, Pankaj Mohite had yet another brilliant outing. The young raider playing his first season of VIVO Pro Kabaddi fetched points with ease, producing classic Kabaddi moves such as the Dubki in the process, as Pune clinched their first All-Out with seven minutes remaining in the first half. Rohit Kumar produced flashes of brilliance to lead a mellowed comeback for the Bulls but Surjeet’s High 5 and Pankaj’s 9 raid points meant Pune went into the half time with a five-point lead (20-15).

Pune secured their second All-Out of the match in the fifth minute after restart to open up a nine-point lead as Pankaj Mohite secured his Super 10. But Bengaluru Bulls were not ready to be tamed without a fight and multi-point raids by Pawan Sehrawat and Rohit Kumar reduced the deficit to five points. But facing an All-Out Sagar Krishna produced three successful tackles including two Super Tackles to help Pune open up the lead again. He picked up his High 5 but the Bulls edged in on another All-Out with less than three minutes in the game. But Pankaj Mohite defied all of Bulls’ valiant attempts to stop him and extend the inevitable All-Out. Bulls did pick up the All-Out in the final minute but Pune’s players remained calm to see out an important win.

About Insurekot Sports:

Established in 2014, Insurekot Sports Private Limited (ISPL) is committed to developing sports in India from grassroots and harness young talent in the country. Through its various initiatives, the company aids athletes in their pursuit of excellence, further fuelling their passion to shine.

ISPL functions on a core belief that sports has the power to transform lives.

Insurekot Sports Private Limited is the holding company of one of the most popular teams of Vivo Pro Kabaddi League - Puneri Paltan. Puneri Paltan is a professional Kabaddi franchise representing the Pune city. Puneri Paltan’s prime agenda is to enhance awareness about Kabaddi across all strata of society and put Kabaddi on the global map. The team, through its IP ‘Bol Kabaddi’ conducts various college, school and corporate level Kabaddi tournaments to harness the best of Kabaddi talent in India.

Apart from the kabaddi franchise in the Pro Kabaddi League, the ISPL has also ventured into table-tennis by owning a franchise in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) – Puneri Paltan Table Tennis.
With its foray into another sport, once again ISPL has opened new doors of opportunities for budding sportspersons across the nation.

Website: http://www.puneripaltan.com/

About Vivo Pro Kabaddi League:

VIVO Pro Kabaddi, a ground-breaking initiative by Mashal Sports and STAR India, is the only league to bring the franchise-based format to India’s indigenous sport of kabaddi. Ever since its inception in 2014, the league has revolutionized the sport with stunning innovations, which has made it into an aspirational sport for players and fans alike. Backed by the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF), Asian Kabaddi Federation (AKF) and the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), the league has witnessed tremendous growth over the past seasons.